Hope
by Corbeauxx
Summary: Movieverse: Logan heads out to find his past, but he doesn't get what he expects (New Mutant Introduction)
1. Hope

Title: Hope (Part 1)  
  
Author: © Renee Reel (Kymaerah@yahoo.com)  
  
Genre: Romance (Logan and new mutant character of my  
own invention)  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Wolverine or the X-men but I do   
own Kymaerah. =o)   
  
Rating: PG so far  
  
Comic or Movie-Verse: Movie  
  
Brief description: What Logan finds after leaving the  
mansion is not exactly what he expected.  
  
Feedback: Please!! Thank you!!  
  
Archive: Hey, if you want it cool! Just let me know!  
  
Notes: Thanks be To Hugh's excellent portrayal of  
Wolverine which inspired me to write again. And to  
Mandy who always encourages me. =o) Kymaerah is  
pronounced pretty much how it looks (Ki-mare-uh) And  
I've never written an X-men or Wolverine fic before so  
if I don't have him down, I'm sorry  
  
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What was he doing here?  
  
Logan threw the cigar to the dusty ground with a  
disgusted snarl. "Pointless." he mumbled as he glanced  
around the ruins of the lab that had once housed him.  
It was the place where they had experimented upon him,  
it was the place where they had given him the  
adamantium claws. But it was destroyed now. Torn down  
to the very foundations, only a shard here and there  
that could be discerned as part of a laboratory. Only  
someone searching for them would know they were there.  
  
There were plenty of scents around, human, mutant,  
animal. All had crossed the disintegrated building.  
Had they wondered upon the triangles of metal that  
sprouted from the ground? Had they considered what  
could have possibly happened there? Could they even  
conceive that 15 years beforehand a mutant had been  
submerged in a tank to be made into a new sort of  
killing machine all because of his miraculous healing  
powers?   
  
He angrily kicked at a piece of rubble, inwardly  
cursing the men who had done this. Taking away his  
memories. . . his life, just to have a nearly  
indestructible killing device. "Shoot him all ya want!  
He heals." he shook his head, almost sadly. He had  
hoped against hope that something would bring back  
memories once he found this place. Another dead end.  
Should he continue looking or just give up?  
  
"Give it up Logan," he said aloud, the hills around  
him absorbing the sound. "There's nothing to be found  
here." Another derisive snort as he kicked another  
rock.   
  
"Why do you say that?" the voice came from nowhere it  
seemed. *snikt* Claws unsheathed as he prepared for a  
fight. But the voice had not sounded dangerous.   
  
"Who's there? Where are you?" he demanded the empty  
space around him. He was answered by a rather joyful  
laugh.   
  
"I've frightened you?" the voice questioned and that's  
when Logan realized that the voice was female.  
Distinctly so. He sniffed the air and could catch just  
a hint of vanilla and, strangely enough, fire.   
  
"I don't frighten easily lady. And I ain't scared by  
something that doesn't have a body to back up its  
threats. Come out where I can see you." he demanded,  
hazel eyes narrowing angrily. Brilliant flames erupted  
suddenly from the trees that lay to the right of the  
ruins. Logan jumped almost imperceptibly, but *she*  
had seen it.   
  
In the aftermath of the burst of fire, she came  
forward. Logan was shocked at the beauty of the  
creature that had been taunting him. A beautiful mane  
of dark hair surrounded a face that could only be  
described as angelic. Her eyes were slitted, like a  
snakes and glowed green as she smiled at him. She  
wasn't tall. . . but she was thin and lithe.  
Dangerous.  
  
"Hello Logan." she said, her eyes softening a bit.  
"It's good to see you again." Logan narrowed his eyes,  
wary, claws still extended.  
  
"Who the hell are you? And how do you know my name?"  
he hissed. He was pissed now. This woman had the gall  
to play games with him and then address him by his  
real name?  
  
"My name is Kymaerah, Logan. And I know your name  
because I know you. Because I too was experimented  
upon here." she announced, gesturing at the ruins. "I  
remember you Logan, and everything they did to you, as  
horrific as it was. I watched it all. I was there for  
it all. And if you want to know what it was that  
happened here, I am your only remaining hope."  
  
  
TBC. . .   



	2. Wounded Wings of Hope

Title: Wounded Wings of Hope (Sequel to Hope)  
  
Author: © Renee Reel (Kymaerah@yahoo.com)  
  
Genre: Romance  
  
Rating: PG so far  
  
Comic or Movie-Verse: Movie  
  
Brief description: What Logan finds after leaving the mansion is not exactly what he expected.  
  
Feedback: Surely!   
  
Archive: Hey, if you want it cool! Just let me know! The series can be found at fanfiction.net as well (I write under the name Erisyn there. =) )  
  
Thanks: To Hugh's excellent portrayal of Wolverine that inspired me to write again. And to Mandy who always encourages me. =O) (And also helped me with the groovy title!)  
  
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Logan stared at the mutant before him. Was she lying? What reason would she have to do that? Why lie and tell him that she too had been tortured. The claws that had popped out at her taunting now sheathed themselves and he stretched his fingers, willing some warmth back into them.  
  
"You know me? You know what happened to me here? How did you know I'd be here?" his questions were fast, furious, determined. Kymaerah frowned as she came forward, her dress skimming the ground. Logan hadn't even noticed that she wore clothes that were nearly threadbare, but she had not expected him to. The Professor had told her he was a bit rough around the edges. But she had already known that. She had known him before . . . long before any of this had ever happened.  
  
"I didn't know." she answered as she took a seat on a rather large boulder. She looked up at him, her brilliant green eyes boring into his. Familiar. Her voice, her eyes . . . everything about her was familiar. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not bring up an image of her before now. He could not remember seeing her in this laboratory. Another scowl crossed his lips, anger at the people who had done this to him surfacing again. "So much happened to all of us here. There were many mutants, not only you and I, but scores of others who were given much worse gifts than the ones you and I were blessed with." Logan looked up suddenly from the spot he had been eagerly perusing during her words.  
  
"I don't see anything wrong with you. You don't have an adamantium skeleton do you? You don't share these?" He raised his hands, cursing himself for the fact that his question had sounded almost hopeful, but to have someone who shared something with him would be a new experience. Kymaerah heard the hope in his voice and she frowned again, her eyes leaving his.  
  
"No. I do not share your *gift*." she answered sadly. Logan opened his mouth to ask what they had done to her when he saw her face contort in pain. The cloak she wore was torn away as her wings spread open. The pain was so excruciating she had to bite her lip to keep the tears from flowing down her face. Logan stared openmouthed for a moment. A woman with wings. That certainly wasn't what he was expecting. The wings shone like stars, the gray feathers seemed almost silver in the early morning sunlight. "They gave me wings, but I cannot fly. How horrible is that?" she said and dared to look at him again. His face was shocked and she didn't blame him. Who had ever seen a woman with wings before?  
  
"W . . ." he began, but his voice failed him for a moment. "Why wings? Why can't you fly?" questions again.   
  
Kymaerah shrugged slightly, her wings moving with her shoulders. "They wanted to train me for surveillance. To teach me to fly over villages and cities and report back to them with what I'd seen. I can not fly now because I decided against helping them. They gave me an assignment to fly over a small village in my homeland; they wanted to know the best place to bomb. I refused to tell them, and so they clipped my wings. I can no longer fly. But enough of my story." she said and looked at him again. "You wanted to know of what happened to you. Why they did this to you? Who it was, I assume, so you can seek your revenge?" she questioned. Logan grunted his assent.  
  
"Of course. Those bastards deserve a little vengeance." he snarled. Kymaerah nodded in accordance.  
  
"Well what first? Shall I tell you who they were? Or shall I start with how you got here?" she questioned as her wings settled into a more comfortable position close to her body. Logan watched with fascination. This creature, this woman, seemed so vulnerable and yet, he knew somehow that there was something in her that made her more dangerous than he could ever be.  
  
"Why did they bring me here?" he questioned simply, unable to start anywhere else.   
  
"You know the answer to that Logan." Kymaerah answered shortly, barely before he had finished speaking. "They were manufacturing killing machines from mutants with regenerative abilities. I have a limited amount . . . nowhere near as powerful as yours are." Jealousy rippled through her. Perhaps if hers were more developed it would not hurt to move the damned wings that they had surgically grafted to her shoulder blades. She sighed.  
  
Logan watched the winged girl with wonder. "I'm sorry," he said simply as he turned away from her. He was unsure of why he was apologizing, but it felt right. Kymaerah let her eyes drift over his back and she nodded.  
  
"I know." she said softly and examined her fingers again before continuing. "I guess I'll start from the beginning ... that would be the easiest, yes?" she questioned but did not wait for his answer to continue. It was going to be a long day, and she had a story to tell . . . one that would not easily be devoured by the man before her. It would test not only her spirit, but his as well. He would need all the strength he had to face it. She took a deep breath, and continued . . .  
  
"Well, first things first. I knew you before this place." She said as she gestured at the ruins and then looked up at him, seeing shock in his eyes. "We hadn't known each other long, mind you. I . . . " she smiled slightly, remembering how they had first met. It wasn't funny, of course, but they had become sort of fast friends afterwards. "I hit you with my car." She said and looked up at the sudden grunt that he made.   
  
"You hit me with your car? That's how we met?" he grumbled, disbelieving. Kymaerah smiled again and nodded.  
  
"My fiancé had just found out about my mutation." She said, her smile fading as she remembered that night. "I was driving home, crying, after he had told me that he never wanted to see me again. You were crossing the road and I didn't see you. I was devastated that I had done something so horrible, but when I stopped the car and climbed out to see if you were all right, you were already on your feet. The cuts on your face healed rather too rapidly for you to be human." Logan nodded, not remembering, but imagining what their initial meeting might have been like.  
  
"You were so angry!" Kymaerah exclaimed, becoming rather animated in her discussion of her memories. It was then that Logan realized how truly beautiful she was. What really made her lovely was that she didn't know she was gorgeous. Her voice was husky and thick like honey. Logan found himself imagining that he could listen to that voice all day, all night. As long as she kept talking the world could crumble around them. "I apologized and I told you I'd pay for whatever hospital bills there were, and of course, you laughed." She said with another smile. "I'm not exactly sure what happened thereafter . . . I just know that we ended up becoming friends . . . I think perhaps we had dinner a few times, you, me, and your fiancee." Logan looked up; his heart pounding painfully loud in his head . . . it seemed his blood was rushing through him, a roaring sound in his ears.  
  
"My fiancee? You're sure you're not mistaken there?" he questioned, his hazel eyes worried. His fiancee . . . he was to be married? And yet he didn't remember a fiancee, hell – he remembered nothing from his former life, not even his mother and father's name. He scowled and his desire for revenge grew even stronger. Those that had done this to him, to her . . . they would pay.  
  
To Be Continued (will try to get out next installment as fast as I can!)  



	3. The Fire of Hope

Title: Hope (Part 3) ((The Fire of Hope))  
  
Author: © Renee Reel (Kymaerah@yahoo.com)  
  
Genre: Romance  
  
Rating: PG so far  
  
Comic or Movie-Verse: Movie  
  
Brief description: What Logan finds after leaving the mansion is not exactly what he expected.  
  
Feedback: Surely!  
  
Archive: Hey, if you want it cool! Just let me know!  
  
Thanks: To Hugh's excellent portrayal of Wolverine that inspired me to write again. And to Mandy who always encourages me. =O)  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
In our last episode: "My fiancee? You're sure you're not mistaken there?" he questioned, his hazel eyes worried. His fiancee . . . he was to be married? And yet he didn't remember a fiancee, hell - he remembered nothing from his former life, not even his mother and father's name. He scowled and his desire for revenge grew even stronger. Those that had done this to him, to her . . . they would pay.  
  
"No, I'm not mistaken. Her name was Evangeline." Logan jumped a little at the name. Kymaerah looked at him, curiosity in her shocking eyes overshadowed something else, something more dangerous. "You remember something?" Logan shook his head, running hasty fingers through his hair.  
  
"The name Evangeline - there's a poem . . . " he trailed off remembering his first meeting with the one they called "Beast". The big blue hulk of a man had been reading a book of Longfellow's poetry to the students. Logan had stumbled across the class, but had stayed when Hank had begun to read "Evangeline". One of the only things he had ever been able to remember, aside from his name, had been that poem. "Longfellow's poem. I haven't been able to get it out of here. I've always known it" He said and pointed to his head. Kymaerah smiled, a genuine smile, and stood, tired of sitting for the moment.  
  
"Of course! You recited it to her constantly. We were having dinner one night and I think you two had had an argument that day . . . you began reciting it to her over spaghetti. It was lovely." She said, her eyes wistful and sad. Logan looked at her, his face etched with shock. He had been engaged. That was the last thing he had ever expected the beautiful, familiar woman to tell him. Kymaerah looked down at the ground, afraid to meet his gaze.  
  
"But, she was the reason you are here now." she looked up, meeting his amber gaze. "She was killed, murdered, and you were the number one suspect."  
  
"No." his voice was soft, disbelieving. "No, that's not possible." He insisted, but the image of Rogue's panicked face fluttered into his mind's eye. He hadn't meant to hurt her, and without her touching him and using his healing powers, she would have died. Kymaerah turned her head away, her green eyes glistening with unshed tears. She hadn't wanted to tell him this. Why couldn't his memory just return? But then. . . if that had happened, she would have been unable to come to him like this. Unable to talk to him . . .  
  
"You didn't, of course." she said and turned her back to him. "They had learned of your magnificent ability to regenerate. A man who can be shot, and yet repair the damage done to him. Kill him, and Kill him, and Kill him again, but he just will keep coming back for more." the bitterness in her voice was plainly evident and it was painful to hear. "They took her and they tortured her. They stabbed her again and again..." she said and turned to him, the fire in her eyes seeming to glow brighter. "They raped her, they tied her up and beat her and when she stopped breathing they took her to your apartment and they called the police." Logan's breathing was shallow; he had become more and more angry as her story had gone on.  
  
"How ... did ... " he spat out two words and then could no longer speak. *snikt* The claws unsheathed themselves, but this time Logan didn't feel the pain as they burst through his skin. He let out a roar of anger as he spun around and sliced through the nearest object - a rather thick limbed pine tree. He went down on one knee as the tree began to sway back and forth. It leaned towards him one time and then it toppled into the darkness of the forest, a thundering sound shaking the ground as it landed. Kymaerah watched him, jewels of tears standing in her eyes.  
  
"They wanted you to join them, and getting her out of the way was their only option. They gave you a choice: prison or join them. Instead of spending the rest of your life behind bars you chose to join them. You did not know at the time that they were the ones that had framed you." she said softly as she moved in close behind him. He was breathing heavily, his body shaking with anger. He could not catch a glimpse at a memory and yet he knew that she was speaking the truth. He knew that she would not lie to him.  
  
He looked up at her under furrowed brows and took a deep breath. "What did they do to me here?" Logan hissed through clenched teeth as he clenched and unclenched his fists.  
  
"They made you into a killing machine. They gave you your adamantium skeleton, brainwashed you. It was a sad sight . . . I would hear the guards talking about you, about how your mind was weakening." Kymaerah put a hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him. He grabbed her wrist and stood, turning to face her. His body was a live wire of angry energy. He was at his most primed . . . the anger was pouring off of him in waves of heat that Kymaerah could feel.  
  
"What are you doing here? Why are you telling me this? Why am I being punished?" he growled, pulling her closer so that he could look into her eyes. "If you are lying to me . . ." he left his threat open-ended as he squeezed her wrist. The threat didn't need to be finished. His intentions were clear enough.  
  
"What reason would I have to lie to you Logan?" the tears standing in her eyes spilled, sending two gleaming rivers of crystal down her cheeks. "You think those times were easy for me? I had to. . ." she trailed off, her heart pounding, "I was taken away from the man I loved, I was given these *wings*" she hissed, her anger growing as well, "They threatened to kill him if I did not assist them. But I refused. I refused and they tortured him. I can still hear his screams. . ." she trailed off as she began to glow slightly. . . her skin suffused with a golden color. "No." she jerked her wrist as hard as she could and she backed away from him, quickly. Logan growled and followed. The tears had caused something to stir in his heart, but what it was, he could not discern. He had had a similar reaction when he had seen Rogue crying that day on the train.  
  
"I just need to know. . ." but he stopped as he watched fire spill from her mouth, her body heaving it into a wide ditch that had once been the laboratory. It only lasted a few seconds at most, but when it was over her lips were singed and she was sobbing uncontrollably as the fire spread towards the forest surrounding them. "What the hell?" he questioned as he knelt beside her.  
  
"My mutation." she whispered hoarsely. "It's why I chose my name." Her slightly charred lips broke into a small smile "The Chimaera was a creature of myth in ancient times. The head of a lion, body of a goat and tail of a serpent. She could breathe fire and could not be tamed by anyone."  
  
"Bellerophon." the word was out of his mouth before he could stop it. Kymaerah looked up, her eyes glistening.  
  
"Yes, he tamed her by killing her. It's what they called the man over the experimentations here. They nicknamed him Bellerophon. And that's the name he still uses today." 


End file.
